FRESH SUMMIT PROMISES FRESH IDEAS FOR INDUSTRY

Lynne Miller

NEWARK, Del. -- The Produce Marketing Association's Fresh Summit will bring real-world merchandising experience to the show floor this year.

In its third year, the Fresh Ideas Marketplace, an interactive area on the floor, will have a new look. Divided into three focus areas, the marketplace will cover produce merchandising, floral merchandising and the "best of the best" -- award-winning retail displays from around the world.

For the first time, the marketplace will serve as a showcase for top retail talent. Merchandisers from Wegmans, Schnuck Markets and Food Lion, among others, are volunteering their time to set up produce displays highlighting innovation and consumer-friendly merchandising strategies that work in the real world of retail.

"It's going to be much more exciting, much more realistic based on what's happening in the store, rather than perfect in theory," said Bryan Silbermann, PMA president. "Before, we just had consultants and staff putting this together, and now we're turning to the experts. A section of it will be floral as well. There will be store-level people and some of the merchandisers from the supply side of the floral business working on it as well.

"It's going to be a laboratory essentially for suppliers to see how innovative store-level retailers are doing and also for other retailers to see that kind of stuff," Silbermann added. "We want people to share with one another. Who knows -- down the road we could have a competition or something like that."

More than 30 educational sessions, covering a smorgasbord of key topics, will be offered this year. Topics include "If You Package It, They Will Buy: Consumers and Packaging," "A Town Hall on Transportation: Identifying Opportunities," "Increase Revenue Through Improved Positioning," "Technology for Supply Chain Excellence," "Data Synchronization 101" and "RFID: What's New, What's Next."

The sessions will be divided among tracks. Fresh Summit's consumption track will offer sessions on boosting profits, spotting consumer trends and "intelligence from the field" -- a session featuring produce department managers offering observations of consumer purchasing behavior.

The global trade educational track will kick off Nov. 5 with a two-hour session titled "Economic Influences on the Global Produce Market." The seminar will cover issues such as rising energy costs, transportation and global population growth and how they impact produce growing, distribution and sales. The program also will cover how changes to China's currency valuation can impact the U.S. dollar. Other global trade track sessions include "International Retailing Trends, Lessons & Opportunities" and "The Secrets to Global Market Access."

Not all of the highlights will take place inside the convention center. Attendees will have a chance to visit area supermarkets and floral operations as part of Fresh Summit's popular "Workshop on Wheels" bus tours.

Fresh Summit International Convention & Exposition

When: Nov. 4-8

Where: Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta

By the Numbers: An estimated 17,000 attendees from more than 50 countries, and about 800 exhibitors representing 26 countries